COLUMBUS, Ohio — Late in the third quarter of the Maryland football team’s game at No. 10 Ohio State on Saturday, quarterback Max Bortenschlager scrambled for a four-yard gain before sliding into the turf. Despite the quarterback’s attempt to avoid contact, Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette hit him late, leaving the quarterback down on the field for several minutes.
The sophomore left with an apparent head injury and did not return. Junior transfer Caleb Henderson, making his Maryland debut, replaced Bortenschlager.
With Tyrrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill already suffering season-ending injuries, Henderson is the fourth quarterback the Terps have put under center this season in just their fifth game, a 62-14 loss to the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio.
Running back Ty Johnson was quick to refute the notion that Bortenschlager is “down,” but he acknowledged the unfortunate nature of yet another Maryland quarterback leaving with an injury.
“He was just playing his heart out, trying to get extra yards,” Johnson said. “Things happen. It is what it is. I’ll be checking on him all through tomorrow, and we’ll see.”
Prior to his departure, Bortenschlager went 3-for-12 passing for 16 yards while Maryland gained just 26 yards in the first half and 66 in total. Coach Urban Meyer said his team’s defensive line — which notched five sacks — was “all over” the Terps, and that’s why Maryland didn’t throw often and was ineffective when it did.
The loss came one week after the sophomore led the Terps to a victory over Minnesota, throwing for 154 yards and two touchdowns while avoiding a sack.
Bortenschlager was taken down in the backfield four times against Ohio State (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten). On Maryland’s third offensive play of the contest, he was stripped and Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker returned the fumble 20 yards for a touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a 14-0 advantage just over five minutes in.
“[Ohio State] executed and we didn’t,” coach DJ Durkin said. “We couldn’t block them up front.”
He coughed up the ball two more times, recovering one and losing the other. With all the hits he took in the backfield, Bortenschlager finished with -43 yards on the ground as the Terps (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) ran for 50 yards on 42 carries.
The output was reminiscent of Maryland’s 38-10 loss to Central Florida on Sept. 23, when Bortenschlager was sacked five times after replacing Hill.
However, the play during which he was injured happened past the line of scrimmage. Durkin was incensed by the nature of the collision that knocked Bortenschlager out of the contest. The play wasn’t initially flagged, leading the second-year coach to sprint onto the field and plead with the referees, who reviewed the sequence and ejected Arnette.
The setback compounds the team’s struggles with quarterback injuries.
“I’m not really certain anymore what we’re even trying to do,” Durkin said. “The quarterback is sliding and he gets hit in the head … I’m at a loss. Somebody help tell me how to coach that. I don’t know.”
While running thin at quarterback, the Terps hardly found success in crucial passing situations. They converted one of 15 third down attempts.
In Bortenschlager’s stead, Henderson was 0-for-1 through the air and ran five times for -2 yards.
Defensive back Josh Woods said the Terps “left a lot of plays out there” and were unable to capitalize on their chances, regardless of who was under center.
“Adversity like this just brings us together closer,” Woods said. “There’s no time to split apart, no time to be disappointed. The game already happened. It’s on to the next one.”
